163 Virgin Olive Oil Benefits have suggested that such a decrease could indicate an increase in the protease present on the endothelial surface, which could regulate thrombogenesis. Such results would be interpreted as a change in the protective effect of olive oil consumption against thrombogenesis within the frame of a Mediterranean diet. 13.4. The influence of olive oil on thrombus formation Studies on the antithrombotic effects of olive oil supplementation in humans are scarce. Nevertheless, within the frame of the PREDIMED (Prevention with Mediterranean diet; PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea), a Spanish study with high cardiovascular risk individuals, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with EVOO (1L/ week), during three months in 49 individuals, promoted a decrease in the gene expression of thrombogenesis-related proteins such as cyclooxygenase 2 (a key enzyme in prostaglandin synthesis), LRP1 (lipoprotein receptor related protein), and MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein 1). Such data indicate a possible contribution of olive oil, within the frame of the Mediterranean diet, modulating gene expression related to thrombus formation. In the EPI-COR study (a clinical trial on the longterm follow-up of antithrombotic management in acute coronary syndrome patients), with 29689 Italian women, a 44% reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease (myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization or both) was observed when olive oil consumption increased from 16.8g/day to more than 35 g/day. 13.5. The effect of olive oil on clot dissolution by fibrinolysis In normal physiological conditions when a clot is established, processes to repair vessel damage, which triggered the coagulation cascade, occur. Once completed, fibrinolysis commences. During fibrinolysis, blood clots are dissolved by the enzyme plasmin which cleaves insoluble fibrin. Plasmin is generated from its inactive precursor, plasminogen, by the tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) produced in the vascular endothelium. In this process, the role of the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), a molecule involved in fibrinolysis and particularly in thrombus stabilization and progression, should be highlighted. Studies on the effect of dietary fat on PAI-1 levels are scarce. Our group, has, however, recently described a reduction of PAI-1 lev-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Njg1MjYx